JUNE SESSIONS WITH KEY FOCUS ON RAISING AMBITION IN AREAS OF URBANIZATION AND
LAND USE CONCLUDE IN BONN

The ability of cities and the way smarter use of land can unlock greater action on climate
change now and into the future came to the fore during the UN Climate Change Conference held
from 4 to 15 June in Bonn, as governments work towards a new agreement in Paris in 2015. The
positivity around the two weeks of meetings culminated at the close when governments asked
that the elements of a draft treaty be made available by July in advance of the next meetings
in Bonn in October.

The series of technical expert meetings launched at the ADP March session with a focus on
renewable energy and energy efficiency continued at the June meeting,
where opportunities for action on urban
environment and land use were
examined. For the first time, the June session included two days of ministerial meetings,
where Environment Ministers from several countries spoke of the need for a long-term vision
of a carbon neutral world in the second half of the century.

Ms Figueres says faith groups have an opportunity now, in the lead up to a new, universal
climate change agreement in Paris, to provide a moral compass for their congregations and for
political, corporate, financial and local leaders.

IPCC Science Underlines Urgency to Act Towards Carbon Neutral World
The latest government-agreed science shows that the world can still combat climate change but
only if nations raise their collective ambition to achieve a carbon neutral world in the
second half of the century, says Christiana Figueres. Press release (139 kB)

IPCC: Greenhouse Gas Emissions Accelerate, Major Change Needed to Reduce
Them
A new report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) shows that global
emissions of greenhouse gases have risen to unprecedented levels despite a growing number of
policies to reduce climate change and says major institutional and technological change is
needed keep below two degrees Celsius. IPCC press
releaseIPCC home page

"Cape Town is a worthy winner of the Earth Hour Capital 2014 prize and is especially
notable for being the first city from the south to receive this prestigious award. This
achievement clearly demonstrates the important contribution emerging economies can make in
the fight against climate change. 2014 is a critical year for climate action, as nations work
towards reaching a new global climate agreement at the UN Climate Change Conference in 2015

The leadership of cities like Cape Town will play a pivotal role in helping us reach a
meaningful agreement by encouraging national governments to create more ambitious plans for
reducing emissions. The city and its leaders deserve congratulation for their great
work."

"Cape Town is a worthy winner of the Earth Hour Capital 2014 prize and is especially
notable for being the first city from the south to receive this prestigious award. This
achievement clearly demonstrates the important contribution emerging economies can make in
the fight against climate change. 2014 is a critical year for climate action, as nations work
towards reaching a new global climate agreement at the UN Climate Change Conference in 2015

The leadership of cities like Cape Town will play a pivotal role in helping us reach a
meaningful agreement by encouraging national governments to create more ambitious plans for
reducing emissions. The city and its leaders deserve congratulation for their great
work."

28 March 201420th ANNIVERSARY UNFCCC - CELEBRATING 20 YEARS OF EFFORT AND ACHIEVEMENT

Friday, 21 March 2014 marks the 20th anniversary of the entry into force of the United
Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. This is a moment to celebrate the
far-sightedness of the Convention and all of the investment in its implementation that so
many thousands of people have made over the last two decades.

To mark the anniversary, the secretariat has prepared an interesting, informative and fun
timeline. Relive great moments in the history of the Convention in stories, photos and
video!
Read more

But it is also a time when we can reflect on the distance we all have yet to travel to
achieve the ultimate objective enshrined in the Convention, which is to prevent dangerous
human interference with the climate system and ensure sustainable development for everyone.
The need is greater than ever and I hope this anniversary inspires everyone to recommit to
the Convention, to its implementation and to a meaningful 2015 agreement.

Christiana Figueres, UNFCCC Executive Secretary

17 March 2014FIRST MEETING OF THE ADP IN 2014 WITH SPECIAL FOCUS ON RENEWABLES AND ENERGY
EFFICIENCY WRAPS UP IN BONN

At the UN Climate Change Conference in Bonn (10 - 14 March), countries got down to the
business of fleshing out how a new universal agreement on climate change might look by the
deadline of Paris 2015 as part of worldwide efforts to keep a global temperature rise under 2
degrees Celsius this century. This week's meeting of the "Ad Hoc Working Group on
the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action" (ADP) marked the start of an intense year with
a calendar of meetings. The ADP also saw the launch of technical expert meetings, which are
to continue throughout the year, and which are to spur new national policies and new examples
of cooperation which can then be showcased at COP 20 in Lima at the end of this year. The
first technical expert meetings focussed on renewable energy and energy efficiency.

11 March 2014FIRST MEETING OF THE ADP IN 2014 KICKS OFF IN BONN WITH SPECIAL FOCUS ON RENEWABLES
AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY

The first round of UN climate change negotiations in 2014 opened in Bonn on Monday, March 10,
with a message from the Co-Chairs of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Durban Platform
(ADP) noting that
countries had set out clear tasks on the path towards timely adoption in 2015 of a new
climate change agreement and to enhance immediate ambitions to deal with climate change.

The week-long meeting will include work towards the shape and content of the new agreement,
as well as a particular focus by technical experts from government and a wide range of other
stakeholders on boosting renewable
energy and energy efficiency.

Similar expert meetings throughout 2014 will address other areas where action can be boosted
so that, by the end of the year, tangible results should be visible that can stimulate new
national and international initiatives and policies, innovative partnerships and mobilization
of the resources needed to make greater climate action happen and stay below a temperature
rise of 2 degrees.

More detailed information on emission reduction potential and benefits of energy efficiency
and renewable energy here. All technical expert meetings will be webcast live and on demand. See the
schedule here

At the end of 2013, the United Nations General Assembly declared 3 March as World
Wildlife Day as a global commemorative day to celebrate the world's wild fauna
and flora and to raise awareness of the many benefits that wildlife provides to people. Visit
the World Wildlife Day website.

The Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) and its family of Agreements are joining the many
organizations around the world that are contributing to the first ever World Wildlife Day on
3 March 2014. Click here to see what the CMS
Family is doing for World Wildlife Day.

Senior officials of the United Nations and World Bank
also joined 100 legislators at the launch of the 4th edition of the
GLOBE Climate Legislation Study, now expanded to cover progress on climate legislation in
66 countries. The GLOBE study is the most comprehensive research project that audits climate
legislation across the world's major developed and emerging economies. The summit also
launched the Partnership
for Climate Legislation between GLOBE, the United Nations and the World Bank. The
Partnership will support national legislators to develop, pass and implement national laws on
climate change and forestry/REDD+.

The
Parliamentary Action on Renewable Energy project, a UNDP-EU initiative, aims to build the
capacity of parliamentarians to promote the development of renewable energy sources to fight
climate change. UNDP and its
implementing partner, Climate Parliament, have
identified about 200 MPs in the developing world who are committed to parliamentary action in
their countries. The project has already shown the difference a small number of committed
legislators can make in promoting access to renewable energy. Visit
AGORA, the multi-partner portal on parliamentary development. See User Guide on renewable energy for parliamentarians.

24 February 2014Climate Leadership Awards

On 25 February, UNFCCC Executive Secretary will speak at the third annual Climate Leadership Awards ceremony in
California that will honour exemplary corporate, organizational and individual leadership in
response to climate change. The Awards are being held in conjunction with the 2014 Climate Leadership Conference.

Achievements that reflect impact, innovation and leadership in renewable energy and
sustainability are increasingly being honoured around the globe. In January, Abu Dhabi staged
the annual Zayed Future Energy
Prize, and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) began inviting nominations for its flagship Champions of the Earth Award. Winners of the 2014 Award
will be unveiled at a gala event towards the end of the year.

In March, the UNFCCC secretariat's Momentum for Change initiative will open its annual
call for applications. The Momentum for Change Advisory Panel, under its new Chair, Teresa
Ribera Rodriguez, will select a small number of activities to become Lighthouse Activities.
Read more.

The Equator Inititative, a
partnership for resilient communities, is seeking nominations for its
Equator Prize 2014, which will recognize twenty-five local sustainable development
solutions. Closing date is 22 March 2014. Also open for applications are the 2014 SEED Awards, designed to find the most
promising start-up social and environmental entrepreneurs in countries with developing and
emerging economies. Closing date is 8 April 2014.

The fifth biennial Mayors Summit held in
collaboration with the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group took
place from 4-6 February 2014 in Johannesburg, South Africa. This event brought together C40
Mayors from around the world to advance urban solutions to global climate change through
individual efforts as well as international engagement and collaboration.

The theme of the 2014 C40 Mayors Summit was: "Towards resilient and liveable Megacities
– demonstrating action, impact and opportunity". UNFCCC Executive Secretary
Christiana Figures gave a keynote address on City Leadership and the International Climate Agenda
Wednesday, and C40 issued a
new report on how the world's megacities have the power to accelerate climate action
on a transformative scale.
View infographic.

Important work in the field of local action for global sustainability is also being carried
out by international organizations such as UN HABITAT, as well as associations
such as ICLEI, the Communitas Coalition and Climate Alliance, who are supporting cities in their
efforts to become resource-efficient and low-carbon.

To celebrate what cities have already achieved in going green, WWF has organized a
competition to find the world's most sustainable city, with Christiana Figueres on the
panel of judges. Join in and vote here. The
winners will be announced on March 27.

3 February 2014SECURITY IMPLICATIONS OF CLIMATE CHANGE

Speaking at the 50th Munich Security
Conference in the Bavarian capital of Munich (January 31 to February 2, 2014), UN
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said that "Climate change is every much a security threat
as an armed group bent on plunder".More

In his keynote speech, US Secretary of State John Kerry said he was "chilled" by
the recent IPCC report and that the main solution to climate change lay in effective energy
policies.More

The event was also attended by UNFCCC Executive Secretary Christiana Figueres, who spoke
about security issues related to energy and climate.See video (comments start at 21.30 min).

Institutions such as the OSCE and the IES are already addressing the issue. According
to experts like Rear Admiral
Neil Morisetti, the former UK Foreign Secretary's Special Representative for Climate
Change, the impact of climate change needs to be considered a far more of a mainstream issue,
and the implications should be factored into security and economic strategies in the same way
that other threats to prosperity and stability are.

UK Admiral: Failure to set a robust climate target will hurt national
securityEuractiv
Climate change is not just an environmental concern, it is a national security issue
and failing to address it effectively with a tough greenhouse gas emissions reduction
target now will ultimately threaten our way of life, says UK Rear Admiral Neil
MorisettiRead
more

Commander of U.S. Forces Pacific says climate change is top
threat
Climate Science Watch
According to Navy Admiral Samuel J. Locklear III, the Commander of U.S. Forces Pacific,
there is strong liklihood of significant upheavals resulting from rising global
temperatures, with the potential to "cripple the security environment",
making climate change the top security threat.
Read more

Why the U.S. military is going increasingly greenBloomberg
29 January 2014
In its drive for greater energy efficiency, the U.S. military has set itself a
renewable energy target equivalent to that of the European Union. The push for
renewables cuts costs, reduces dependence on vulnerable supply lines and helps ensure
24/7 access to electricity.
Read more

Speaking at the ongoing World Economic Forum in Davos, UNFCCC Executive Secretary Christiana
Figueres stressed the importance of a 2015 universal agreement in sending a signal that the
global economy is moving to low-carbon.View video

Leaders gathered at the Forum have made it a top priority to push to reshape the global
economy and cut global warming by shifting to cleaner energy sources.
More

Climate change is taking centre stage in Davos in 2014. A record 23 sessions, fully one third
of this year's World Economic Forum, are being devoted to how the world can transition to
a low carbon economy and keep a global temperature rise within safety zones for billions of
people.Read the latest C. Figueres blogRead more on the Davos meeting

20 January 2014NY to Davos -- Momentum Builds on Climate Finance

Safeguarding Future Retirement Funds – Time for Investors to Move Out of High-Carbon
Assets Says UN's Top Climate Official

At the Investor Summit on Climate Risk on 15 January in New York, UNFCCC Executive Secretary
Christiana Figueres urged investors to accelerate the greening of their portfolios as one
crucial step towards a low-carbon economy that can better cope with the threats and seize the
opportunities from climate change.

The issue of financing the transition to a low-carbon, resilient global economy will also
take centre stage at the World Economic Forum's annual Davos meeting from 22-25 January
2014.Read more on the Davos meeting